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The 9th of Av is a day when we commemorate the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples in Jerusalem. It is a sad day, one of mourning, fasting and lament, yet what we feel is not just the saddness over the loss of the physical buildings, but of a way of life.
The destruction of each Temple is also the start of a period of Exile from the Land of Israel. The fall of the Second Temple, in 70 CE, also marks a radical shift in Judaism. After the destruction Judaism is forced to reinvent itself, to shift from a centralized, sacraficial religion, to one of prayer and disperate and diaspora communities. Perhaps the biggest change is the rise of Rabbinic Judaism which ultimately shapes how we practice Judaism today.
History and tradition have tied many of the clamaties that have befallen the Jewish people on this day, adding to the seriousness of the day. It was declared a day of fasting by the Rabbis and elevated to the same status as Yom Kippur: a full 25 hour fast, we don't wear leather shoes or bathe and we avoid doing things that are fun or happy on this day.
This year more than most we understand what it is like to experience a radical shift in the way we observe and practice Judaism. We have had to make changes and accommodations, and just like the Rabbis of the 1st century we've had to reimagine what it all looks like so that despite our yearning for the past the future is more beautiful, engaging and dynamic than what was. Join us this year as we commemorate what Judaism once looked like, as we mourn the loss of what was while taking comfort in our community and the knowledge that we will survive this chapter in our history and become stronger and more dynamic because of it, just as we did when the Temples were destroyed and just as we have in every frought moment of our history.
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